Workshop No. 3: Music Industry and Free Culture

Our analysis shows that there was never so much money spent on music and music-related activities like today. The question is who finally gets the money. "(Scott Cohen, The Orchard)

"We can’t do anything: Either the market is regulated politically, legally and technologically, or I will have to fire half of my employees and scale my business down." (Indie label owner)

"This is clearly a client failure. The music industry does everything right." (Music Publishers)

"The fans and my relationship with them are the key factor. How can I get closer to them, how can I inspire them and how do I get them to support me." (Musician)

* Statements by participants of the all2gethernow music conference in Berlin, September 2010

This workshop, hosted by Andrea Goetzke, examines the current situation of the music industry from the perspective of "Free Culture". From its very beginnings, the history of music has always been gravitating around the free use of creative works and ideas. However, there has never been such a variety of approaches towards creation and authorship, as well as possibilities of reproduction in all digital and analog forms as today.

This workshop is dedicated to musicians, producers and label managers who want to explore the concept of "Free Culture" as a new perspective for the development of new sustainable artistic and economic models, especially against the backdrop of the current situation of the music industry.

The first part of the workshop presents an overview of the philosophy, practical approaches, tools and projects that bridge music and free culture. The term "Free Culture" reflects on the reconstruction of copyright issues in the digital sphere. After an introduction to the history of the Creative Commons, we will discuss concrete tools, such as Creative Commons licenses, existing projects, as well as the question of business models and sustainability of free culture in the music industry.

The second part of the workshop relates specifically to the question on how the concept of Free Culture can serve as inspiration for your own professional practice. How to implement Creative Commons licenses on a practical level? What options are there to refinance cultural content which is freely accessible online? These and other questions of participants will be in the focus of the debate. Participants have the opportunity to come up with concrete questions already in the workshop application. This will help us to prepare the session accordingly.

"Free Culture" is also a term that provokes further thinking. What does "free culture" actually mean? How do we envision a free and sustainable music culture? And how do we get there? In what ways can we learn from the struggles and problems of many mayor labels these days? How to reconfigure the roles in the music industry and culture?

The third part of the workshop aims at providing space for to utopias and structural ideas, which lie beyond the possibilities of individual actors. Ideally, we will come up with sketches and some concrete first steps as a result.

There will be a follow-up workshop at transmediale.11 (February 3, 2011, 12:00 - 14:00), where we can continue to discuss many aspects which we will have touched upon at the music industry workshop.

The workshop is aimed primarily at players in music culture and music industries. Applicants for this workshop are invited to place their questions and expectations in the workshop registration form.

The workshop is limited to 30 people. Participants will be selected in respect of a good mix of experience and backgrounds, in order to ensure a constructive debate.

Please register here

Please note that the workshop language will be German!

Date: Friday, 28. January, 16 - 20 hrs, followed by an informal get-together 20 - 22 hrs
Venue: Kubus, Radialsystem V

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Outlook on the workshops to come:

About the partners
We have invited diverse host institutions to take part in the workshop series, ranging from independent creative hubs to state institutions and larger organisations. We have sought host institutions with consistent ethics and goals to the topics we will pursue through the workshops. This decentralised organisational model offers participants the chance to increase their contact networks, familiarise themselves with different venues and institutions around Berlin, as well as connecting local players with international ones.
Partners and hosts of the workshops:

all2gethernow
betahaus
Creative Commons
Kompetenzzentrum Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaft des Bundes
Mozilla Drumbeat
Multiplicities
Open Design City
P2P University / School of Webcraft
Public Art Lab
Studio 70 / Hallenprojekt
Sourcefabric
transmediale Festival
Upgrade! Berlin

How will the workshops be structured?
Each host will offer a workshop theme which is related to the daily practice of the respective venue or institution. Rather than being solely theoretic, the workshops strive to be hands-on and results-oriented. In order to broaden the scope of the workshops and refrain from becoming too Berlin-centric, 1-2 international experts will be invited to each workshop.

Who can participate?
Anyone who has a profound interest in the workshop topics is invited to participate. The only two requirements are: a) an online participation application must be completed, and b) this application must include a description of professional practice and motivation for participation. A maximum number of participants will then be selected from the applications. Participation is free of charge, but each participant will be required to assist in the documentation of the workshop.

Documentation
Each workshop will be documented and made freely accessible online. In doing so, our aim is to create a centralised database of topical information, best practice projects, practical advice, as well as a list of institutions and professionals involved in the fields of free culture and the open web. This ever-growing online resource will become the content basis (i.e. 'toolkit') for future projects.
This workshop series is an initiative of transmediale / Free Culture Incubator, in partnership with

The Federal Government’s Centre of Excellence for the Cultural and Creative Industries

Mediapartner:
Motor FM